Sovereignty Over the Spiritual
Notes
Transcript
Text: Mat 8:28-9:13
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Last week we saw that Christ has sovereignty, or kingdom authority, over establishing right doctrine, over physical illness, over the lives of his disciples, and over even nature itself. What we’re seeing in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life is that Jesus’ kingdom authority, his sovereignty, is encompassing every aspect of life.
Well, today we’re going to see that sovereignty extend into the unseen, spiritual realm.
Satan is on borrowed time. (8:28-34)
Satan is on borrowed time. (8:28-34)
Christ has authority over even the fiercest demons.
Christ has authority over even the fiercest demons.
These demons were apparently quite fierce, enough so that people avoided this area for fear of them.
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
But look at what happens when Jesus approaches!
31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
These demons that made people tremble with fear, that prevented anyone from coming near, immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God and trembled with fear in his presence.
We don’t need to fear demons
Our culture tends to almost glorify the demonic, especially in horror movies and such.
Some of this superstition has even crept into evangelical (especially Charismatic) circles, where people attempt to discern the name and characteristics of demons in order to exert authority over them. Such attempts are misguided and find their origins more in Medieval superstition and non-biblical literature than in Scripture.
We should respect them and not trifle with or trivialize them, but we do not need to cower in fear.
The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives within those of us who are believers.
Jesus casts out these demons with literally one word.
We don’t need to be obsessed with demonology or seek some superstitious secret knowledge. Demons are not cast out by some magic formula of the right words but by the power of Christ. If Christ wishes to cast out a demon, one word is all that is needed. “Go.”
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence...
Satan knows that he is defeated.
Satan knows that he is defeated.
29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
The demons know that there is a time appointed when they will be cast into the Lake of Fire, and they know that Jesus had the authority to do so whenever he pleased.
Satan knows that he is defeated as well
12 ...the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Jesus sends the unclean spirits into the unclean pigs, who then drown themselves in the lake. One day, Jesus will cast them all into the Lake of Fire, where evil will be defeated once and for all.
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Whenever I go walking through the woods during the warmer months, I’m always on the lookout for snakes. I know that there are types of snakes here that can kill me or cause me a great deal of misery. And, I also know generally what to look for—the shape and common colors of snakes, where they like to hide out, and such.
But, I don’t live my life in fear of snakes, because I know that they’re a lot more afraid of me than I am of them. And rightly so! I have the power to kill any kind of snake I’m likely to come across here. I also know that there’s a hospital a few minutes from my house, where I can get anti-venom and be treated. (I recognize that this analogy doesn’t work super well in some places in the world, but it works here in America pretty well.) There’s not a snake around here that I can’t dispatch with a shovel or a stick, or my trusty 12 gauge shotgun.
I don’t need to become a herpetologist and be able to identify every single snake out there, or have the knowledge of how to handle them, or know exactly how each type of venom works, and so-on. If I’m out hunting or whatever, that’s my primary focus—not the snakes. I’m aware of the snakes, I respect the snakes, but if I see one, I either avoid it or dispatch it.
You don’t need to know the names of all the demons, what they specialize in, and some special formula for exorcism. Here’s what you need to know.
1. You need to learn how to recognize demonic influence (Scripture says that this often shows up in false teachings and idolatry):
20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
2. You need to have a healthy respect for the danger of Satan and the demonic and always be on your guard:
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
3. You need to know that, if you’re a believer, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and drove out the Legion now resides in you.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Of course, if you’re not a believer in Christ, that doesn’t apply to you. You should be afraid. The fact is that demons DO possess a great deal of power. We know from the book of Job that they can stir up a deadly storm, so they seem to have some measure of power over nature. We know from the story of King Saul that they can drive a man to insanity, rage, and violence. And we see from stories in the gospels that they can possess an unbeliever and cause all kinds of physical maladies, even sometimes causing people to nearly kill themselves. A believer, cannot be possessed because he has the Spirit of the Lord within him. But an unbeliever can. An unbeliever walking about through life without the Spirit in his heart is like a man walking around through the jungles of PNG knowing full well that if he is bitten by a death adder, there is no hospital and there is no antivenom, and he will surely die. So, if you’re an unbeliever, you should be afraid.
But, the good news is...
Jesus has authority to forgive sins.
Jesus has authority to forgive sins.
This is good news because your primary problem is not that you’re a victim of demonic influence. Your primary problem is that you’re a sinner.
Sin, in fact, is what opens the door to demonic influence and possession anyhow.
So, the fact that Jesus has authority to forgive sins is even more significant than the fact that he has authority over demons, because sin is our more fundamental problem. If demons are the snakes in the grass, sin is the cancer in our bones. Even if we never encountered a demon, we would still die of our sins.
You can avoid snakes, but you can’t hide from cancer.
Jesus knows your heart.
Jesus knows your heart.
Jesus knew the heart of the paralytic
Forgiveness for sin requires heartfelt repentance and faith. Since Jesus extended forgiveness, he must have known that the man’s faith and repentance were genuine.
2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus also knew the hearts of those standing around him
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
Knowing someone’s heart and inner motives requires omniscience, a characteristic of God alone. (Not even Satan or angels have this ability.)
Jesus’ claim to have authority to forgive sins is a claim to divinity.
Jesus’ claim to have authority to forgive sins is a claim to divinity.
This is yet another proof that Jesus was not a mere man, but God incarnate. And the scribes realized the implications of his claim of authority as well:
3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
In Jesus’ response, he does not contradict their assumption of his claim to divinity, in fact, he refers to himself as the “Son of Man” further cementing his claim to deity.
The title “Son of Man” is a reference to a divine figure described in one of Daniel’s visions who is seated at the right hand of God himself and given eternal dominion and power:
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
So, the Scribes and Pharisees assume that Jesus is making a claim to have power that only God has, Jesus doesn’t contradict them and, in fact, doubles down on that claim by calling himself the “Son of Man.”
Jesus’ healing of the paralytic immediately following this claim is vindication of his claim to divinity.
If Jesus claimed to have privileges that belong to God alone (forgiving sin), and if he used titles that evoke images of deity, and if onlookers understood these claims as potentially blasphemous and accused him of equating himself with God, and if Jesus did not contradict their conclusions, and then he successfully heals a man using powers that belong to God alone, then he must be God.
If Jesus wasn’t intending to make a claim to divinity, then he would have first corrected their misunderstanding. If Jesus was making a false claim to divinity, God would not have honored his attempt to heal the man.
Our greatest need is forgiveness of our sins.
Our greatest need is forgiveness of our sins.
2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
The paralytic’s greatest need was not physical healing but spiritual healing.
The paralytic’s greatest need was not physical healing but spiritual healing.
Notice that Jesus did not even heal the man until after confronting the Scribes and Pharisee’s flawed understanding.
Jesus knew that this man’s greatest desire was not physical healing, but forgiveness.
Sometimes physical healing or provision doesn’t come until the trial has accomplished its purpose and brought us to repentance and faith.
Jesus can redeem your past. (9:9-10)
Jesus can redeem your past. (9:9-10)
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
Matthew (Levi) was a tax collector for the Roman government.
It’s likely that he collected taxes primarily from fishermen who fished in the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
He would have been despised by his fellow Jews, who would have seen him as a traitor and a sell-out.
It doesn’t matter what your past is; Jesus can forgive you and give you healing and purpose.
Self-righteousness prevents us from seeing our sin and receiving forgiveness. (9:11-13)
Self-righteousness prevents us from seeing our sin and receiving forgiveness. (9:11-13)
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Scribes and Pharisees thought that the tax collectors were “sinners,” but they themselves were righteous.
They were “self-righteous,” believing that they were deserving of heaven while others were deserving of judgment.
Forgiveness comes only when we admit that we are sinners, that we are desperately sick and need a doctor.
Conclusion:
Jesus’s sovereignty extends over everything, even the supernatural. He has authority to forgive your sins, and that is your greatest need. If you feel like you’re a sinner and not worthy of salvation, then you’re exactly the kind of person Jesus came to save.
Close sermon in Prayer and transition to Communion.
